by Sarah Harris, North Country Public RadioPosted: Monday, January 6, 2014 at 3:13PM EST

Most of the North Country is losing population, and losing farms. But there's one group that keeps growing: Old Order Amish. They're drawn to the St. Lawrence Valley by the area's cheap, available farmland.

The Amish live an agrarian lifestyle that's more 19th century than 21st century. But in order to support their communities and their culture, the Amish have had to find a place in the local economy, including the dairy industry and an unlikely partnership with Agri-Mark.

Agri-Mark provides electrified milk houses where the Amish can deposit their milk. The partnership is expanding: Agri-Mark has built 4 new milk houses since June of 2013.